HBO’s Game of Thrones returned to its most-watched episode ever. Thrones delivered 4.4 million viewers for its premiere at 9 p.m. and racked up 6.7 million viewers for the evening after its two repeats were tallied. That’s up 13 percent from its premiere last year.
Despite heavy publicity and an eager fan base, some odds were stacked against the show setting a record. Thrones premiered on the Easter holiday, when TV viewership historically dips, and ran head-to-head for the first time with The Walking Dead during its heavily anticipated third season finale. Though it has not been announced yet, speculation is that HBO will renew Game of Thrones for a fourth season shortly.
